Russian Orthodox leader said Russian soldiers who die in the Ukraine war are committing a ‘sacrifice’ that ‘washes away all the sins’ as many citizens leave the country to avoid the draft

Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill I conducts Easter service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on April 24, 2022. Sergei Vlasov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP Patriarch Kirill I said Russian soldiers who die in the war will be absolved of "sins." The Sunday sermin came days after Russia announced the […]

GOP unveils ‘Commitment to America’ platform, passing off stock footage of Russia and Ukraine as the US and a Lehman Brothers ad as a quote by Lincoln

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks to reporters after attending the swearing-in of Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) at the U.S. Capitol on August 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images House GOP leaders on Thursday released a video promoting their "Commitment to America" agenda. Footage from the video passes off stock images of […]

Russia partners like China and India expressing concerns over Ukraine may have forced Putin’s hand and driven him to try and end the war quickly, according to Russian politics experts

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a photo shaking hands prior to their talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/Associated Press Some of Putin's global partners expressed concerns about his war […]

Putin’s nuclear threats indicate the president is increasingly aware of how limited his military options are in Ukraine, Russia expert speculates

Russian President Vladimir Putin. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images Vladimir Putin on Wednesday escalated his war in Ukraine with a direct threat of nuclear warfare. But experts say the threat indicates that Putin is running out of military options. Putin is increasingly "aware of how limited his actual military options are," one expert said. Vladimir […]

Legendary Russian pop star condemns the invasion of Ukraine, saying it is making Russia a ‘pariah’

Alla Pugacheva receiving an award from President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Dec. 22, 2014. AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service Iconic Russian singer Alla Pugacheva has condemned the war in Ukraine. The recipient of countless state awards, Pugacheva said the war's goals were "illusory." She asked to be designated a "foreign agent," […]

The Russian military’s stunning collapse in eastern Ukraine is injecting optimism into markets, analysts say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Alexey Furman/Getty Images Ukraine's counteroffensive in its war against Russia is lifting Wall Street's mood, analysts say.  The government in Kyiv said it has retaken about 3,500 square miles of territory from Russia. "Suddenly investors are opening their eyes to the possibility of a sooner end to the war," wrote City Index […]

Russian troops fleeing after their lines were shattered left behind so much ammo and weaponry Ukraine struggled to handle it all

Ukrainian artillery unit fires with a 2S7-Pion, a self-propelled gun, at a position near a frontline in Kharkiv region on August 26, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo by IHOR THACHEV/AFP via Getty Images Ukraine has pushed a massive counteroffensive in the country's northeast and southern regions. The advancement has forced Russian soldiers […]

Ukraine is under attack by hacking tools repurposed from Conti cybercrime group

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Financially motivated hackers with ties to a notorious Conti cybercrime group are repurposing their resources for use against targets in Ukraine, indicating that the threat actor’s activities closely align with the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighboring country, a Google researcher reported on Wednesday. Since April, a group researchers track as UAC-0098 […]

Russian think tank offers $16,000 bounty for the capture ‘by any means’ necessary of a robotic vehicle deployed in Ukraine

The THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle is being used to evacuate civilians in Ukraine, according to its Estonian manufacturer, Milrem Robotics. Business Wire A Russian think tank is offering a $ 16,000 bounty for the THeMIS robotic vehicle. The vehicle was recently delivered to Ukraine, where it is reportedly used to evacuate wounded civilians. The think […]

Zelenskyy says Ukraine retook 3 settlements from Russia, part of a broader counteroffensive meant to reverse Putin’s grinding advance

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Telegram address posted September 4, 2022 President of Ukraine/Telegram Zelenskyy announced the retaking of three Ukrainian settlements, but didn't specify where.  One counter-attack was in the eastern Donbas region and two were in the south, he said.  Ukraine began to push back against Russian occupation in the south at the […]